"A Man Called Peter"

Thu Feb 5 10:22:09 PST 2009

"*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE" MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253.874.4265 -- Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

   *Matthew 6:5-15 - OVERVIEW OF 7 MAJOR GREEK WORDS*

*(PRAYER PATTERN FOR DISCIPLES)*

 *1. Hallowed be Your :NAME. Ono-ma* - 229x (Strong #3686)*

*The Name of the Father expresses all His attributes. Here we learn of His
character. And note, it is a command! We are to set apart God's Name, so
that it is not common! And, God is Father only when faith is exercised
producing a spiritual relationship!*

 *2. Your :KINGDOM come. ba-siLEIa - 162x (Strong #932)*

*The Kingdom is the sphere in which, at any given time, God's rule is
acknowledged. Presently, the Kingdom involves suffering for those entering,
2 Th 1:5. It is associated with future reward and glory, Mt 25:34, 13:43.
Its fundamental principle: the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you, Luke
17:21. Christ's rule is in the heart of the believer, and His church, Acts
4:19; 1 Co 12:3. The entrance into the Kingdom is by the new birth, John
3:5. The new nature of the Kingdom is made evident by obedience, Mt 7:21.
The coming Kingdom for which we pray is by sudden catastrophe, 2 Th 2:8.
Outward observances do not prove the Kingdom, but Ro 14:17.*

 *3. Your :WILL be done, As in heaven, so on earth. THEle-ma - 64x (Strong
#2307)*

"*Will" is primarily that which is willed of the will of God, Mt 18:14. The
fulfilling of God's will is a major sign of spiritual relationship. The will
of the Lord Jesus is a **command! We will do in love the will of the Father,
if we are in spiritual relationship with Him! The will of the Father is to
be led of the Spirit as Sons, Romans 8:14.*

 *4. Our :daily :BREAD Give us this day. ARtos - 99x (Strong #740)*

*Here, bread represents food in general, plus all the necessities for
sustenance of life, 1 Co 9:10.*

 *5. And FORGIVE us our :debts, As we also have FORGIVEN our :debtors. aphIe-mi
- 145x (Strong #863) The debts of Mt 6:12, 18:27 are to be completely
cancelled. Forgiveness remits punishment due to sinful conduct, and
signifies deliverance of the sinner from the Divinely righteous penalty.
Forgiveness is based upon the vicarious and propitiatory sacrifice of
Christ. Repentance and Confession are the conditions for forgiveness, Lk
17:3, Mt 18:15-17. Sin is a debt demanding expiation, and payment by way of
punishment. Man to be forgiven, must forgive as God forgives! Note: This is
the only petition in the Lord's prayer that is repeated!*

 *6. And bring us not into TEMPTATION. pei-rasMOS - 21x (Strong #3986)*

*This concerns forces beyond our control, Mt. 6:13, Lk 11:4). Watch and pray
lest carelessness or disobedience cause entrance to temptation, Mt 26:41, Mk
14:38, Lk 22:40, 46. In all such temptation, God provides a way to escape, 1
Co 10:13. Here is help to escape trials designed to lead to wrong-doing or
temptation, Lk 4:13. We are to avoid trying or challenging God, He 3:8.*

 *7. But DELIVER us from the evil one. RHUo* - 18x (Strong #4508)*

*This word is largely synonymous with SOzo, to save, preserve from; while
RHUo inclines to 'rescue from.' Evil is used as a noun of Satan as the evil
one, Mt 5:37, etc. It is used in the moral or ethical sense as evil or
wicked.*

 *A REMARKABLE ANSWER TO PRAYER*

*by Catherine Marshall, author of "A Man Called Peter"*

 It started because of the extraordinary response in the form of fan mail
following the publication of her first book. She had already edited "Mr.
Jones, Meet the Master," some 24 or so sermons by her late husband Peter
Marshall, who passed on to be with the Lord in 1949 at the age of 46. In
response to strong encouragement from friends and publishers, out of 600
sermon manuscripts she made her selection, and they were printed in the
exact format Peter used to deliver them. Now she had changed from editor of
an extremely successful publication - to author. One and a half million
copies of this were sold. Through death, Peter - through his wife, reached
far more than he could ever have done had he lived.

 Now with the avalanche of fan mail - between one and two thousand
remarkable letters - something more was to come. Of course Catherine could
not answer them all. But now that Twentieth Century Fox had sole rights to
make a movie from her book - Catherine had a problem. Allow me to let her
state it in her own words to Sam Engel of Twentieth Century Fox.

 *To be sure, moving, inspirational entertainment is not discounted.*

*But, Sam, I long for this particular movie to be far more than that.*

*And I think you do too.*

*I long for this picture to show movie audiences all over America*

*what God can do for modern men and women,*

*and so change lives and set feet on the right track.*

 *Now I know that what I'm asking for is virtually a documentary film -*

*one that's true to the facts, not of a book but of life -*

*only handled with all the artistry of fiction.*

*That would not be an easy scenario to write.*

*I know that.*

*I think I understand some of the difficulties.*

*But I'm convinced that it could be done,*

*and that it would make movie history...."*

 Now she goes on with her account from her third book - "To Live Again."

 *Either God lives - or He doesn't.*

*Either He has real power - or it is all a delusion.*

*If God could overrule Joseph's brothers and assorted Pharaohs and kings,*

*then He could manage modern rulers - and Hollywood.*

*At least, I thought, now I have a good chance to find out.*

 *But the Bible insists that we have to ask for God's help in order to get
it.*

*That is the point of petitionary prayer.*

*And the asking seems to have more power when many join*

*their petitions in agreement on "what they shall ask."*

 *It was out of that background that I decided to write each one of those*

*who had sent me letters after reading A Man Called Peter*

*to ask for their specific prayer about the movie project.*

*I told neither my publisher nor Mr. Engel that I was doing this....*

 *November 1, 1953 - Dear Friend:*

*I remember with gratitude the most thoughtful letter which you wrote me
sometime ago,*

*in which you shared with me how God spoke to your own life *

*through Peter Marshall's story and sermons.*

 *Now I want to ask a personal favor of you. *

*Twentieth Century Fox plans to make a movie of A Man Called Peter.*

*This movie could speak to the heart of America.*

*It could mean a great deal to our time and generation -*

*using this modern movie medium.*

 *I can visualize movie audiences - made up of whole families -*

*alternately laughing and shedding a few tears*

*as they relive certain episodes of A Man Called Peter on the screen,*

*as they see God Himself shining through one man's life.*

*I can see vast audiences streaming out of the theaters onto the sidewalks *

*of a hundred thousand Main Streets, *

*entertained, uplifted, inspired, with the thought singing, through many a
mind...*

"*If God could solve Peter Marshall's problems, *

*maybe He can solve mine - and my nation's.*

*I'm going to given Him a chance...."*

*I can see the scenario writer, the producer -*

*Mr. Samuel G. Engel, the director, the entire cast*

*given by God inspiration and ability quite beyond all natural talent.*

 *But all this can happen only if this whole project*

*is literally floated on a gigantic wave of prayer.*

*It is precisely because I well know what a difference prayer can make,*

*that I am writing this letter to you and 1800 other choice friends,*

*requesting your specific prayer about the movie "A Man Called Peter."*

 *The next two months will see many crucial decisions made.*

*The scenario is not yet completed.*

*The move has not been cast.*

*The director has not been chosen.*

*I leave for Hollywood on November 10 to make what suggestions I can....*

 Usually most people pay little attention to a form letter. Yet this one
drew an amazing response. I heard from almost everyone who received it. Most
of the replies were written in longhand. It was evident that my request for
prayer was being taken as seriously as I had hoped....

 On March 7 Catherine saw the finished production. In Hollywood Sam Engel
was awaiting her reaction. On the way back to Washington, she carefully
composed a wire to him:

 *THIS MORNING AT FOX'S NEW YORK OFFICE I SAW A MAN CALLED PETER'S SPIRIT
AND PERSONALITY COME THROUGH WITH COMPLETE INTEGRITY. EVEN THE MOST
EMOTIONAL SCENES HAVE THE RESTRAINT OF REAL ARTISTRY. MAY THE PICTURE BECOME
A MILESTONE BOTH IN MOTION PICTURE HISTORY AND IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE OF THE
NATION.*

 I could not forget my fan-mail friends. Surely they deserved the next
word....

 *In November, 1953, I sent a letter to many of my friends*

*asking for specific prayer in connection with the making*

*of A Man Called Peter into a motion picture.*

 *Sixteen months have passed since then.*

*The movie is finished and in most cities will be released shortly before
Easter.*

*I wanted to wait until I had seen the finished product to report back to
you....*

 *Out of this experience, I have learned one of the greatest lessons of my
life.*

*The lesson is that our God is still an Omnipotent God.*

 *In the two years "A Man Called Peter" was in process,*

*I went through some very bad moments.*

*At times, those concerned were on the verge of very wrong decisions.*

*My faith often wavered and faltered....*

*I was Technical Advisor for the screenplay.*

*But from the moment that shooting started, I was not Technical Advisor for
the movie itself.*

*I saw none of it shot.*

 *Yet God's Hand was on the project, so He did not need mine.*

*He still reigns in His World!*

*In response to prayer, He can still rule and overrule;*

*He can still have His way with His creatures - even in Hollywood.*

*It has been an awe-inspiring and humbling experience*

*to have this worked out step by step.*

*The Lord God Omnipotent still reigns...!*

 *NOTE:* As you will have noted, A Greek Word Study on "The Lord's Prayer"
is the Launching Pad for this remarkable example of how this prayer worked
for individuals and a corporate body of 1800 fans to the book, that
triggered the production of this Classic Movie - "A Man Called Peter."

 I trust you will go back again and again to "The Lord's Prayer" and
saturate yourself in it. Jesus' disciples asked Him, "Lord, teach us to pray
as John the Baptist taught his disciples to pray." And Jesus responded by
saying, "After *this* manner *Pray*." The word "pray" in the original
language is in the *Imperative Mood*. It is a *Command!* Then 6 of the
following petitions are *likewise* commands in the Imperative Mood. This
makes the vast part of this prayer a *Double Command*.

 The only exception is - "And *bring us not* into temptation." *This* is in
the Subjunctive Mood. It could be that Jesus was saying, "It is permissible
for you to pray that - If I am able to perfect you without undue testing,
May it be so! But if testing in my life is the only way that can bring me
through to Your purposes for me - then, *So let it be.* But should this be
necessary - then let *not* the evil one take advantage of me in this time of
testing!"

 A forgiving spirit is the *only* one of the 7 petitions that is repeated!
Father, if I am unwilling to forgive those who have wronged me and
trespassed against me, then I fully understand that You will *be unable to
forgive me* my trespasses against You and my fellow-man.

 The above illustration and example of the successful application of "The
Lord's Prayer" by Catherine Marshall through the movie *A Man Called
Peter*can now take on an even deeper significance!

- Jim Watt

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